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Saturday, January 22, 2011

Is Hookah Harmful?

The following is an extract of an article of the same name by Darrell Hulisz, PharmD which was posted on Medscape Pharmacists on 09/03/2010

Numerous publications have documented the harmful effects of hookah.[3-9] For example, a single session of waterpipe smoking (which may last about an hour) may deliver as much tar as an entire pack of cigarettes.[3] As with cigarette smoking, the user inhales nicotine, carbon monoxide, benzene, toluene, arsenic, lead, formaldehyde, and other carcinogens.[3,4] Concern has been raised over a lack of warning labels of waterpipe tobacco products and accessories.[3,4]

Scholarly reviews have found similar adverse health consequences with waterpipe and cigarette smoking.[9] Pregnant women who use waterpipes are more likely than abstainers to give birth to babies with low birthweights, low Apgar scores, and respiratory distress syndrome. Studies have shown that hookah smoking increases the chances of periodontal disease, and may be associated with adverse cardiovascular effects, such as tachycardia and increased blood pressure.[9]

The World Health Organization[10] and the American Lung Association[11] have released advisory statements indicating that many of the long-term adverse consequences of hookah smoking, including increased risk for cancer, mimic those of cigarette smoking.

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